SCO: Borrani and Beethoven
Queen’s Hall, 5/2/2026
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Lorenza Borrani violin/director, Robin Johannsen soprano
Violinist Lorenza Borrani returns, for her second concert this year to direct the Scottish Chamber Orchestra In a programme of Beethoven, Rossini and Britten. Introducing the programme to an almost full house, sub-principal second violin, Gordon Bragg explains that, unusually, at their Monday rehearsal, the orchestra were introduced to two works that were unfamiliar to them. Beethoven’s concert aria, ‘Ah Perfido’ is one of Beethoven’s earliest works, its “beautiful quicksilver music” written when he was 24. Britten was the same age when he wrote his tribute to his composition teacher, Frank Bridge, in variations where his “technical showing-off has a strong emotional core”.
Rossini was not quite 24 when he wrote ‘The Barber of Seville’, but he already had a handy overture tucked in his back pocket. Although used for two earlier operas, it’s now firmly fixed in our minds as the lively prelude to ‘The Barber’s’ comedy and high spirits. Overtures were once a regular first item on concert programmes and were also listened to carefully by opera audiences as they waited for the curtain to rise. Now these stylish and tuneful works have become the background to - often unnecessary - stage ‘business’. The SCO’s performance today, celebrates the pleasures of Rossini’s orchestration, with woodwind, timpani, trumpets and horns – a lovely flourish from guest leader Jože Rošer in the opening bars - all having their chance to shine. Lorenza Borrani directs from the leader’s chair with an exaggerated playing style, sometimes rising in her seat to encourage and using her bow to better instruct the orchestra. It’s entirely successful. The tempos are precise and the crescendos handled beautifully, with space for a few twinkling ornaments in the woodwind sections. The orchestra and the audience enjoy it immensely, and I find myself humming the introduction to Almaviva’s first aria…
The Aria we hear is Beethoven’s ‘Ah Perfido’, a twelve minute concert work in three sections sung by American soprano, Robin Johannsen, who has had an extensive career in European opera houses and concert-halls. She’s a dramatic protagonist as Deidamia in this tale of a scorned lover as she confronts the audience with a torrent of vengeful promises in her orchestra-accompanied opening section. Beethoven’s opera ‘Fidelio’ is said to be hard on singers, but this early work shows understanding of the singer: the louder orchestral interventions sit between her phrases, and there are no excessively flashy runs or high notes (mezzos Janet Baker and Cecilia Bartoli both sang it). A slower pace signals Deidamia’s remorse as she acknowledges, “He has changed, though I have not,” before beginning her aria ‘Per pieta’ (have pity). Introduced by clarinet and flute and with warm-toned horn accompaniment, this is gorgeous music, with Johannsen proving as fine a singer of this legato lyrical and rapturous section as of the more dramatic opening and conclusion. After the aria’s pp ending, the shift to allegro sees her return to the attack, though now tempered by regret and quieter reflection. Perhaps an unusual choice, but one which is much appreciated by the audience, and Robin Johannsen is enthusiastically applauded.
The Baroque Inspirations concert included Britten’s earlier ‘Simple Symphony’ which has similarities to ‘Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge’. Written for string orchestra, it also includes pastiches of musical styles, which here indicate facets of Bridge’s personality. The gentle ‘Romance’ in waltz time represents his charm, the florid ‘Aria Italiana’, which has ranks of violists and second violins solemnly playing their instruments like mandolins, celebrates his humour, and the longer ‘Viennese Waltz’, a more obviously twentieth century piece with crunchy harmonies whose rhythms threaten to get out of hand, evokes his enthusiasm. Towards the end of the work, the swooping strings of the ‘Funeral March’ and the high held notes of ‘Chant’ signalling sympathy and reverence, perhaps express Britten’s feelings as much as those of his teacher. Both ‘Simple Symphony’ and the ‘Variations’ have been given thoughtful and witty interpretations by the orchestra, enabling audiences to rediscover these early works.
The concert concludes with Beethoven’s shortest and possibly most exuberant symphony, No 8, which clocks in at around 25 minutes. Written when Beethoven had personal worries to contend with, its ebullient mix of the beautiful and the quirky is in some ways reminiscent of Vivaldi, perhaps also in its sense of a procession of ‘good bits’, none of which hang around for long. The full orchestra is back on stage. Among them, tonight’s guest principals, Sasha Calin, oboe, Jože Rošer, horn and Elsa Bradley, timpani, make notable contributions to the rousing opening, with its brass blasts alternating with drum beats. The quieter moments include a feather-light rapid upward movement of a short phrase started on pizzicato strings and progressing higher through the winds. The second movement, allegretto scherzando quasi andante is not to be taken too seriously, and the ticking sounds from the strings are apparently a tribute to the inventor of the metronome. The third movement is a minuet, definitely not for the ballroom, a sweeping dance with the beat in the wrong place, and lots of stirring stuff from winds and timpani. The calmer trio starts in the horns and is played mainly by the wind section. Short and sweet. The finale has its own jokes, the momentum coming from speedy strings, with a number of seemingly false directions, and eventually a stop-start ending. But all is in the best of humour. As Gordon Bragg said at the beginning, the orchestra relishes the rich and complex score and obviously appreciates how Lorenza Borrani encourages them to play this standard repertoire in a new and exciting way. Judging from the applause the audience agrees.
The SCO’s fund-raising activity this year is directed towards New Music. You can find more about the campaign here SCO New Music Fund: Shape the Sound of the Future – Big Give. Donations made before March 30th will be match-funded.
